Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1887-02-27
A THRILLING SIGHT.

Major Benson, United States army,
visited tho coast whore the flow of lava
entered the sea, and thus describes the
scene witnessed by him after night all
on January 10Th
with the increased darkness p) INT
after point of fire was developed along
the entire course of the flow, until Il
elimination was reached, at half-past
2 A. NJ, when liquid fire belched forth
from the crater, far above, to the height
of $50 feet"
Major Benson travelled to the head
of the flow on the 3lst, and thus de-
scribes his experience
"In the centre of great masses of
rough black lava was the crater, which
was about 125 feet in circumference,
and around it circle of living fire was
formed mt intervals About 800 yards
below the crater molten lava poured
forth in streams from assures i'll the
mountain side. Numerous other
smaller craters also emitted streams of
lava, and at times the entire group Of
craters shot forth huge tongues of fire
simultaneously, followed by immense
streams of lava. These phenomena
continued at intervals for some time"
THE BROAD DELUGE OF FIRE.
Rev. S. Il. Bishop, well known in the
scientific world, visited the scene Feb
ruary LIST, after the rush of fire was
over. He writes as follows:
"The northwest side of the flow pre-
sents a straight, solid embankment
forty feet high, and in some places one
and half miles wide. The flow over
reaches the original coast-line from
two hundred to five hundred feet,
making thirty acres of new land.
One can, perhaps, partially ina
CINE how that tide of fire and
rocks, nearly a mile wide
rolled for a week over the shore into
the deep and conyulsive ocean. have
10 powers of imagination to conceive
the awful splendor of the downward
charge of that mile-broad deluge OF
fire, nor the horror of the tornado-like
clash and roar with which that vast wall
of rolling rock and cinder pressed for
ward over the land, piling up on the
plain and crashing into the sea. / saw
but its dead and dying remains, dread
full, dark, and silent"
AN INTERESTING DISCOVERY.
Mr.. Bishop states that the present
flow is much greater in quantity than
that of 1868, being twice the length Of
the latter and of greater depth. He
also calls attention to an interesting
fact observed in steaming around the
southern point of Hayti. This was a
remarkable surface-layer of yellow
ochre, or similar matter, many feet in
depth. He believed this to be layer
of yellow ashes distributed from some
eruption probably thousands of years
ago. Referring to this discovery he
states:
1--WE are thus enabled TO determine
the remarkable and important fact that
at a recent period, although prehisto-
ric, there was an explosive eruption OF
yellow cinders which covered at least a
hundred square miles with yellow ashes
several feet in thickness.
He concludes 81 hereby file my
cayeat for this discovery in case no one
has recorded a patent Of prior date"
THE EARTHQUAKE SHOCKS.
Judge ID. II. Hitchcock writes under
date Of February Sd from Hilo:
"We are experiencing slight shocks
almost every day or night. A very
heavy fall % volcanic smoke hides
Mauna Loa from here. If there were
no further volcanic action there the
smoke would be all blown out to sea by
the strong winds which have been
blowing for the past week. As il is, |
feel as though the end OF the flow is
not yet"